THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.

North Otago Times, 6 September 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN.

There is no more terrible and no moreobscure part of history than that which relates.to the century and a half of murders secretly organized and daringly committed by order, of the "Old Man of the Mountain." Just about 800 years ago there was panic throughout Persia,. Meirwero found dead in tho highways, mer-chants-in their houses, emirs in the j palace chambers, generals in their tents. At a street corner a blind beggar would pKcoiiftiry, beseech a passer- j by to lead him home. Woe bo to him whose generous heart led him to res-; liond, for he never returned, Days afterwards his corpse would be found in a cellar or some other dim place—the Old Man of the Mountain had satisfied his lust for blood, No one knew who the emissaries of the monster were. Friends would be walking together, and one would bo suddenly stabbed by the other., A Sultan decided to extirpate the gang of vipers. That night, though his tent was encompassed'with guards, two daggers were placed near his throat. He accepted tho onion, and withdrew his mandate. But his Vizier urged him to proceed, and a few hours later the Vizier was dead, No one was safe; every-man feared his neighbour. The monarch was as much in danger as the peasant; and such was tho ter-

ror created that men dared not even say to which party they belonged—"whoso was their enemy feared their violence, and whoso befriended tliem was accused of being their associate.' And this appalling state of affairs uctimliy lusted 163. years, during which time thousands and thousands died by the secret assassins' hands. But every Old Man of the Mountain came to his end in pence except the Inst.

What was the origin of this awful j sort, and what was the object of its • 'crimes? Strange as it may seem to say so. the ghastly work of the Jinn <>f the Mountain represented a religious movement of fanatical fervour. It is a complex piece of history, but the leading points may bo easily ex-p'aiiu-d. In the lentil century Islam v.-ns divided into two rival [actions, the, Sunnites and'the Shi-ites the cause- of tlieir anlagonism being as to the rightful succession to the Prophet Eventually the issue narrowed itself down' between the claims of two brothers, Musa and Ismail, but the followers 01 the latter were being gradually, defeated, when suddenly the cause was revivc/l by' one Abdullah, a vulgar magician. It.was his wily brain which conceived the bold plan (hat power might ..ho obtained by practising on men's fears. He therefore formed a secret society, bound together by mystery,, and compelled the members to carry out his orders unflinchingly. It is said that on one occasion to prove to n sceptic how completely these followers were under his control, he bade n number of them to cast themselves out of a window to certain death, and the older was unhesitatingly obeyed. Another strange story to account for his influence was that it was his custom to give n luxurious repast to likely men, to intoxicate them, with the drug hashish, and then transport them to a fairy-like garden of wonder and boauty-a' Paradise of Mohammedan fancy. When the dclud--0:1 men had seen enough they were brought buck, and on reviving were told that they had never left the apnrtment, but had enjoyed a glimpse of heaven that awaited the Faithful. Their conversion was immediate, and they devoted themselves to tbc Old Man of the Mountain, not only, however,, did he wish them, to murder but to proselytise. While they used the dagger to inspire, horror, they (.'!i«f ged in subtle missionary work on hcimf of their infernal master, Their method was to ask questions, and to any 'listener in a crowd whose curiosity was excited promised to make un'oat revolutions if the person would take a solemn oath of fidelity. Thus the cause spread, and the. Old Man of the Mountain became a Caliph—ono who. when he rode forth, had criers in. advance shouting, "Turn your ; fnces from him who holds the death of kings in his hand," j The most noted of these assassini potentates was Hnssan-i-Sabbah, at : whose door is laid the charge of bavin; murdered that most enlightened of'tiraiul'Vizicrs, Nizam-ul-MiJlk, the friend and patron of the philosopherpoot, Omar Khayyam. Hassan himself was a man of genius. 11l 1000, after he had travelled in Egypt and dteply studied the lsmnili creed, he achieved a remarkable and monlcntmis triumph by surprising and capluring the fortress of Alamoot, in Northern Persia, and on the Syrian frontier. It had been deemed to be impregnablo and he made the mighty castle his headquarters, reorganized the secret Order, of which he was (Irand Master, and became a more terrible Old Man than any of his predecessors. For twenty-four years this tyrant, whose slightest nod was obeyed, was able to remove every enemy from his path. The Emir of Moss'ul determined on a bold stroke to rid the region of the prime assassin, only to lie immediately murdered in the mosque at Damascus for his lernierity. Nizam's death is said to have been due to bis threat to attack Alamoot, and after these exhibitions of the ruthlessness and rcl source of Hassan's emissaries, no I further attempt was made to molest I him.

It.is true that oceasionly the as-, sassins" were tracked and captured,! but even under the most fearfully prolonged and excruciating of. tor- j tares they refused to reveal their| secrets. On the contrary, even in the j agonies of death they would pro-: claim their.triumphs and utter prais-j ■OS' of the master they served. So { powerful did Hassan and his' successors become that neighbouring rulers, and even,'ll is reported, the Ko\cnigns of Egypt, Hungary, and Germany, were glad to placate them with handsome gifts and acknowledge their supi'cniaey in the Persian dominions. The English Crusaders brfiught home, wondrous tales, ming- . led perchance with myths, of the Old Man of the Mountain, And, strango to relate, it was only another secret body that thc-socret assassins feared -tile Templars and Hospitallers, who Jiari a Grand Master of their own, Who had their own mystic rites, and who, no matter how many were slain, hn'd always successors ready. Yet it was so ordained that it- was ;,,ot at the hands of, any such body the Old Man of the Mountain should meet his fate, bat from an entirely unsuspected quarter. In 1771 great wars were raging. The Crusaders were fighting Saladin in tlie hope of recovering Jerusalem from the Prophet's followers; civil strife prevailed in Persia; there was a general upheaval in the East. In the midst of it all a Tartar chief, ! Hoolagoo, seized his opportunity ..of raid and plunder, The great castle of Alnmool, with its treasures, proved an irresistible attraction.- No superstitious; fears slopped him, no thought of hidden .peril appalled him; j lie simply rushed' headlong towards so' .promising a prize. The ■■castle - foil before the savage assault, Hie amnmilatVd treiisiirt's.. were divided . lu'iwoeirHhe' coni|iierlng force, and the last Old Man (if the Moiiiilnlil was butchered In cold hhmd, It was (Vlliiinnly draiiiiuli 1 ctmdiisitiii lu lljo •iiiiiVy'uf-yiiira^-iuWiliiS ul *WWv»

had filled men's minds for generalions, and tho mere mention of which so many centuries Inter still inspires a feeling of uwe,—"Weekly Budget,"